2024 MID-YEAR ROUND-UP: IEUAN, FILLY, ELIO, & HYRA!
Highlighting a selection of projects from the first half of 2024 that we missed.
2024 has been a jam-packed year for music with mainstream and indie artists alike dropping project after project. Even though I try my best to cover as many releases as possible, there were a handful of projects that got away from me, and I just couldn’t move on to the second half of the year without doing them justice, so let’s round up the first half of 2024!
IEUAN - HIGH ELVES AND LOW LIVES
British-American singer-songwriter and fellow San Francisco-Bay Area native ieuan has been putting out music as far back as 2015 starting with his first project, Songs About Boys, Probably, Vol. 1. Following three more full-length projects — Pink Suburbia (2016), Saint California (2017), and Over the Garden Wall (2018) — and an EP — Sweet Boy (2020) — he released his official debut album, A STUDY IN ANTE MERIDIEM, in January 2022. Since then, he’s been teasing his upcoming sophomore record, and to hold us over until its arrival, ieuan dropped his second EP, High Elves and Low Lives, early last month.
High Elves and Low Lives is a brief collection of presumed outtakes from ieuan’s sophomore album, including four previously released singles and two new tracks, that combines the electro pop and UK garage sound of A STUDY IN ANTE MERIDIEM with elements of drum & bass (“Tokyo Convenience”) and indie rock (“If I Don’t Stop It Won’t Catch Me” with English singer-songwriter L Devine).
Lyrically, the EP deals with familiar subjects for ieuan — such as falling in love (“All Blades Perish”), heartbreak (“Altar”), and feeling isolated in one’s suffering (“Behold, a Pale White Horse”). The most vulnerable moment, however, occurs at the end of the EP, as the emotional title track sees ieuan opening up about his complicated personal relationships, struggles with mental health issues, and feelings of inadequacy over stripped-back, acoustic production.
Since the pandemic, ieuan has been steadily gaining more and more traction on the underground pop music scene, and I eagerly await the release of his forthcoming record!
Stream High Elves and Low Lives across all online and streaming platforms!
FILLY - COWGIRL IN A COWBOY WORLD
After putting out their debut EP, Watching Strangers Smile, in April of last year, German singer-songwriter FILLY continued their rise as an emerging star on the underground pop music scene with the release of their sophomore EP, Cowgirl In A Cowboy World, last month.
Rather than the bubblegum and indie pop sound of Watching Strangers Smile, Cowgirl In A Cowboy World sees FILLY opting for a more high-energy, Eurodance style with bouncy beats and sparkling synths — although there are songs that recall the earnest, emotional nature of Watching Strangers Smile like “Call U Home” and “without youuuuuu”.
“Cowgirl” opens the EP with ominous oscillation and echoey vocals that explode into a strobing banger on which FILLY uses their sharp tongue to describe feeling like a big fish in a small pond; the Y2K-esque “Discotheque” is a scandalous bop about making love to someone on the dancefloor; and the happy hardcore anthem “God Invented The Radio” celebrates the divine power of music and dance.
Then we have “C*nt - DJ_Ge5und#Eit Edit” with Austrian producer and DJ DJ LUVHUNTAH: The campiest song on the project and the most aggressively European dance track I’ve ever heard — complete with a pounding beat, a whispered producer tag from the fictional “DJ_Ge5und#Eit”, hyper-feminine vocals, and deeply unserious lyrics about being the prettiest girl at the club and turning heads while dancing the night away. What’s not to love?
With another stellar EP under their belt, FILLY has shown once again that they are one to watch!
Stream Cowgirl In A Cowboy World across all online and streaming platforms!
ELIO - SOMETHING IN THE AIR
Welsh-Canadian singer-songwriter and producer ELIO began releasing music back in early 2020 but wouldn’t catch the attention of the underground pop music scene until the following year when she became a protégé of English singer-songwriter and pop icon Charli XCX. At that point, she had already put out two EPs — u and me, but mostly me (2020) and Can You Hear Me Now? (2021) — and after dropping her debut mixtape, ELIO’S INFERNO, in August 2022, she would release her long-awaited debut studio album, something in the air, late last month.
something in the air combines the fun electro pop sound of her previous work (“A2B”) with soft indie pop (“Can I Make You Jealous?”) as well as elements of dancehall (“ONPAUSE” and “ASPHALT RODEO”) and UK Garage (“More Than My Mind” and “kissingonthewayhome”) to create an eclectic yet cohesive blend of genres all tied together by ELIO’s warm vocal delivery.
Lyrically, the album delves into a variety of topics from generational trauma (“my mother’s jeans”) and breaking jealous cycles (“Sorority”) to feeling overwhelmed by responsibility (“I cloned myself”) and the downsides of ambition (“SELF DESTROYER!!!”), but for the most part, something in the air largely revolves around love and relationships. “i got the boy” is a peaceful track about the process of learning from and evolving beyond each relationship one has in order to not only better oneself but to become a better partner in each subsequent relationship, and “allofthat” is a heart-warming bop about maintaining healthy boundaries in relationships — a practice that is seldom addressed in music despite its importance in the real world.
ELIO’s music has always been polished, but she has achieved new heights with this album!
Stream something in the air across all online and streaming platforms!
HYRA - ABOUT US
Nicaraguan-American singer-songwriter and hyper pop “it girl” HYRA has made quite the splash on the underground pop music scene ever since going viral with her Eurodance banger “REM (No Sleep)” in late 2022. Her strong vocals, excellent knack for pop melodies, and reverence of the maximalist pop hits of the early 2010s made her a cult favorite on the scene, who waited patiently for the arrival of her debut project. Following several standalone singles — including the electro-smash “Seventh Heaven” (2022), the recession pop throwback “Mary, Jane and Me” (2023), and the fan favorite “Dirty Bitch” (2023) — HYRA finally released her debut EP, About Us, this past week.
In contrast to the hard-hitting, electro pop sound that’s become synonymous with HYRA, About Us focuses on a much softer side of the singer with more emotional tracks about giving up everything for love (“Lavender”) and reveling in the safety and comfort of a partner (“Nostalgia”). Both songs showcase HYRA’s skills as a songwriter and vocalist, and on the smooth jam “Fi2Fi”, she demonstrates her versatility by dabbling in R&B.
At times, however, her exploration falls a bit short, as tracks like “Split It In 2” and “About Us” are rather juvenile and lyrically weak when compared to others like “Lavender” or “Nostalgia”. Additionally, the soft, romantic nature of the EP was met with disappointment from some fans who were expecting more bold pop hits — a reaction that she addresses on “The Invitation”, playfully criticizing the fact that she’s “been in her feelings” for too long and possibly teasing a more dance-oriented future project with upbeat, electronic production that closes the EP on a cliffhanger. If such a project is (in fact) coming, then HYRA is truly an evil genius!
Stream About Us across all online and streaming platforms!
We’re only halfway through the year, and we’ve already seen some fantastic releases, but the fun’s not over yet, as we’ve got six more months of music to look forward to. That means more thrilling reviews and exciting interviews with the underground pop music scene’s top artists! I can’t wait to see what the rest of the year has in store, so stay tuned for more of what you love from me on Homobyte!